Devastating Distraction: The Snare of Offense

I hope you guys don’t mind if I cut right to the chase today… because this is important.

Do you know what happened last week while our nation was arguing over Civil War statues? While demons were pouring gasoline on racial tensions in the US and re-igniting our deep offense toward the Confederate Army (I can’t believe I just typed that in 2017) Oregon Governor Kate Brown quietly signed the nation’s most devastating abortion bill into law.

Last week, just days after the horrible events in Charlottesville took place, Oregon made sure it’s position was secure as the most radical provider of unrestricted abortions in the nation. Oregon’s House Bill 3391-B compels insurers, public or private, to provide a whole swathe of “reproductive services” free of cost and regardless of income, insurance type, citizenship status, or gender identity. Because the bill prohibits insurers from shifting costs to customers in the form of higher deductibles or co-pays, private insurers will be forced to eat the costs — or, more likely, to distribute them among their customers through higher premiums. Medicaid (read: Planned Parenthood) will receive an extra $10 million from the state to cover the procedures. That’s ten MILLION DOLLARS of Oregonians money going to the murder of innocent babies up to nine months gestation for any reason, including gender selection.

Of course, the major media outlets aren’t talking about this American tragedy. No, they’re too busy trying to stir up an angry debate about slavery that was decided during the Civil War. It’s as if we have forgotten who won the war! The outcome of the Civil War determined that slavery in this nation will not stand. And indeed, it does not. Christians all around the world should stand in stark opposition to the evil that is racism—and certainly slavery—but can I suggest that something even more sinister than racism is at the heart of our struggle over statues?

It’s curious to me that old statues getting the attention of popular preachers and teachers while abortion, the horrific murder of babies in the womb that is happening now gets little to no pulpit time. Oregon says that they’ll use taxpayer money to fund your sex-change surgery and your gender-selection abortion… and all we hear is … nothing. The silence is deafening. Where is the outrage over that? Black women are aborting their babies at an alarming rate compared to every other culture in America and we want to march about statues? We are losing thousands of precious black women every year in this country. Feminists? Where are you?

The standard by which we measure offense as Christians needs to be re-calibrated, and fast.

We have lost our way, men and women of God! We have made an idol out of our right not to be offended. Tell me, what good is going to come of this? Do we really want to teach our children to march in the streets because we are offended over statues while real, live babies are callously ripped from their mother’s wombs?

Listen. Offense is a trap; a snare set by the devil to distract us from what really matters, and boy are we stepping on almost every trap the devil is setting right now. It seems that every time I turn on the news, another trap is springing shut. SNAP! Can you hear it, too?

The Bible teaches us that we should be on guard against the snares of the enemy. One of those is the snare of offense. At the risk of boring you, I looked something up. The Greek word for “offense” is skandalon, which literally means the part of an animal trap where bait is hung! In other words, an offense is literally a trap.

We need to understand this deep in our souls and guard against it, because if we’re in a battle (and the Bible clearly says we are), it makes perfect sense that the devil would choose to use offenses to trap and enslave us. Satan lays all kinds of traps for us, and I’m convinced he hunts among the hurting. Think about it— when people offend us, we get angry and hold grudges. Grudges lead to unforgiveness, which leads to broken relationships, or in this case, racial division.

The fact of the matter is that many offenses are going to come our way in this life. When they do, we get to choose how we respond. We can choose to not be offended. In Colossians 3:13, Paul reminds us that we should be “bearing with one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”

And there’s more: while we’re allowing ourselves to get drug into the swamp of offense, a coup is taking place. We’ve forgotten to keep our eyes out for the REAL enemy. Our enemy, the devil, comes to steal, kill and destroy. Right now, he’s taking direct aim at destroying our unity in Christ.

Offense is one of the enemy’s most powerful weapons, and its primary purpose is to keep us from growing in power and strength in the Lord. Offended people are ineffective in the spiritual battle that we have been called to engage in, because when we are offended, we focus on our own pain, often at the expense of others. The devil uses the snare of offense to take us off the battlefield and ultimately out of the war. His goal: to sideline Christians who would otherwise be effective witnesses for the Lord.

A heart that is easily offended is in trouble. It’s a biblical truth that the pure in heart hear from God more readily than those who are full of bitterness: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8, kjv). A heart that is full of offenses and unforgiveness isn’t a pure heart. If we want to hear from God, we have to refuse to allow offenses to rule and reign in our lives. Even big ones.

There’s no question: forgiving the big things is hard. But Jesus, who knows all too well the pain of rejection, doesn’t give us an option. He made it clear: we are to forgive anything against anyone.

“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:25

The next time you find yourself struggling with feelings of offense, ask yourself, “Does this offense warrant the emotional and spiritual energy I am giving it? Are there larger issues in play? Am I doing what Jesus commanded?” Jesus’ requirement that we forgive carries eternal consequences with it, and the devil knows it.

The devil loves it when we get drawn into offenses – because he’s got his sights set on a much bigger target: the human soul. He’ll use whatever he can to distract us from the goal of setting people free in Christ. And that’s the bottom line. Paul tells us to “be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). It’s the Holy Spirit that encourages that unity in the body of Christ. “In one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free — and all were made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13).

Christians who proclaim Christ, cherish truth and love others should also pursue unity, because we have been designed by God to be ambassadors for Him: witnesses to the world of the love of Christ. The apostle John makes clear what our aim should be: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34–35).

We must stop making government our god and return to our first love. Until we do that, healing will elude this nation. John Piper said, “The bloodline of Jesus Christ is deeper than the bloodlines of race. The death and resurrection of the Son of God for sinners is the only sufficient power to bring the bloodlines of race into the single bloodline of the cross.”

Let’s not forget what our call really is: to bring the gospel to a hurting world. We can’t do that until we’re willing to let the gospel eclipse everything else in our lives.

That’s something worth marching for.

About Heidi St. John

Heidi has been married to her husband Jay since 1989. Together they have seven children and two grandsons! The St. Johns' children range in age from early elementary school to adult. They have homeschooled the kids all the way through high school. Heidi is the founder of MomStrong International, an online community of women learning to live biblically in an unbiblical world together .
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I totally agree. But at the cost of allowing the abortion bill to exist?!
The governor did this, while everyone was distracted, like in the darkness without light. Pray for our nation and people in power. Lord, heal our land and her people. If you are not searching for God…Satan is searching for you!

Heidi…I have been following you for years. I don’t follow anyone else for various reasons (time is the #1 reason). I’m a Latino Amercian woman, a proud & happy wife and Mama to 5. I want you to know how deeply appreciated you are. It is refreshing and encouraging to know that there are others out there who feel as convicted and passionate as we are. We are the small voice in the wilderness but our Daddy hears us!
As soon as I heard Fox News flash the headline of what Governor Kate Brown had done I instantly thought of you and then cried out to our Jesus. My husband and I have been volunteers as crisis pregnancy counselors, post abortive counselors and STD/STI counselors for 10 yrs. The devestation of this law is directly caused from the purposeful distractions laid out as that trap from our real and present enemy. The unfortunate events of what occurred in Charlottesville are horrific. Hate is real. And countless lives are lost daily because of it. From the very first sin in the garden. The enemy is in the details isn’t he dear sister? As you already know. His entire existence is to ultimately destroy us. He has perfected his craft while we clearly have yet to graze the surface of the true real power that lives within us who are called Children of God. The enemy is the fuel that lights that flame to hate. The lion waits…waits for the perfect opportunity to attack it’s prey…he is calculated and precise in how he must attack watching every move and then…BAM! The innocent vulnerable life is consumed and destroyed completely beyond recognition at times. Just as the precious defenseless unborn child is while that dear Mama lay deceived by her own heart and the manipulation that this society of ours has deemed “Woman’s Right”. As you can tell I can sound off about this for hrs and days. I will continue to make my voice loud as the adversary walks about. We are raising our children up to be the voices needed in the darkness and silence of other believers. When will it be enough? When it personally hits home or the compromise of man becomes suffocating? Is it not already? Keep using the sound board the Lord has granted you in this fight. Run the race dear sister! You have the support and prayers of many. Stand strong. Wear that armor. As we battle on. You.Are.Not.Alone. ❤

And thank you Heidi for all your encouragement and enlightening posts. I found you through Bobby’s page that was shared on FB. At 70 years young, I wish this age of internet was available when I was raising boys who are now 49 and 50 years of age.

Thank you for this insight…..I’m going to share this with my children tomorrow to give them a new perspective and a little meat to chew on (and I’m spending some time in repentance right now). It is so easy ro get caught up in our own little wounds and irritations, and lose sight of God’s bigger picture. I appreciate the call to refocus.

Oh my goodness, thank you SO much for saying this! So refreshing!! My pastors wife said her mom always told her “Beware of people who are easily offended. They never get very far with God.” And I know I personally battled that wicked spirit of self pity for years! By God’s grace this is something I’m striving to impart to my children now.

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